Delivering Alcohol Guidelines

Delivering Alcohol Guidelines

This article only applies for NZ Dashers.

DoorDash is committed to the delivery of alcohol safely and compliantly. The following information is to help guide you, as at times you may receive orders containing alcoholic items. Your safety, along with the safety of all our Customers and Merchants is our top priority. Please note, you could be held liable if you deliver alcohol in an unlawful way, so it is important that you make sure alcoholic items are delivered responsibly and in line with Government legislation.

Recognising Alcohol Orders:

When you receive an order, the acceptance screen should let you know whether an order contains alcohol. Regardless, we recommend you always confirm with the Merchant when collecting an order to check if it contains any alcoholic items. If it does, always make sure that the delivery is conducted safely and lawfully.

Some of the key responsible supply principles to be aware of when delivering alcohol include:

• Legal Drinking Age: The legal drinking age in New Zealand is 18 years old. This means when you are delivering alcohol, you must always check that the customer/recipient is over the age of 18 before delivering any alcohol items.

• Unattended Deliveries – No unattended deliveries are allowed (even if the customer contacts you and requests you to leave the order unattended). This means that alcohol items must always be handed directly to the customer (in addition to the other responsible supply principles).

• Intoxication – It is illegal to deliver alcohol to an intoxicated person. You should always look for signs of intoxication and if you believe that the customer is intoxicated, do not deliver.

• Secondary supply – If you believe that alcohol is being supplied to a minor (a person under 18 years old), or you believe there is a risk of supply to a minor, do not deliver.

Your rating will not be affected, and you will still receive the full payment for deliveries where you are unable to complete an alcohol delivery for legitimate reasons. There may be additional legal and regulatory requirements that apply to the supply of alcohol.  You should take steps to make sure you are aware of these requirements from time to time.

Checking for Legal Drinking Age:

• It is against the law to deliver alcohol to a person aged under 18 years old. DoorDash requires that you always check the ID for any customers at arrival. You will be instructed to scan the customer’s ID through the app to verify their ID and confirm that they are over 18. The delivery may only be completed if the scan is successful. 

When checking and verifying the ID: 

• Make sure that the ID is a valid Government-issued ID (see below for accepted forms of ID) and that the photo on the ID matches the customer you are delivering alcohol to

• Check the Date of Birth on the ID to make sure that the customer is over 18 years old

• Check to make sure that the ID is authentic/real and not fake/fraudulent

• Check the ID’s expiration date. Do not accept an ID that is expired.

• Scan the ID using the app to confirm final verification 

Acceptable forms of identification:

All IDs must be in its original form i.e no photocopies or photos of IDs should be accepted. Only the following IDs should be accepted when delivering alcohol in New Zealand::

• New Zealand or Foreign Passport 

• New Zealand Drivers Licence 

• Hospitality New Zealand Kiwi Access Card 

If the customer cannot produce a valid form of ID (i.e any of the IDs listed above), do not complete delivery and contact support.

Checking for Intoxication:

You must not deliver to a customer who appears to be intoxicated. Here are some steps to help determine if a person is intoxicated.

Physical Signs of Intoxication

• Look for glassy or bloodshot eyes.  Also look for droopy eyes or if someone clearly has difficulty keeping their eyes open.

• Notice how the person smells.  If you notice that the person’s breath or clothes smell of alcohol, this may be an effective tell-tale sign of intoxication.

• Watch for impaired motor function. Intoxicated people can’t perform normal tasks in the same way they would if they were sober.  If someone is having trouble walking in a straight line or is fumbling with objects, this may be a sign that they are intoxicated.

Signs of Behavioural Intoxication

• Look for a person’s inhibitions becoming lowered.  Some people who are visibly intoxicated exhibit louder behaviour than usual or may make inappropriate comments.

• Watch out for a person that is slurring their speech.

• Notice if someone is speaking slower or faster than usual.

• It is illegal to deliver to a customer that appears to be intoxicated. If the customer is intoxicated, do not complete delivery and contact support. Your rating will not be affected, and you will still receive the full payment for this delivery. 

Unattended Deliveries

Unattended deliveries are not permitted. This means that alcohol items must always be handed directly to the customer (in line with the other responsible supply principles). If the customer who placed the order, or another nominated adult e.g for gift deliveries) is not available to accept the order, do not complete the delivery and contact support.

Penalties 

Please note, you could be held liable if you deliver alcohol in an unlawful way and penalties could apply. 

Judgment

Lastly, use your judgment! If you have any doubts about the ID, the customer, or encounter a situation where you believe delivering alcohol will go against responsible supply principles or any other laws or regulations, do not complete delivery and contact support. Your rating will not be affected, and you will still receive the full payment for deliveries where you are unable to complete an alcohol delivery for legitimate reasons. For further information on specific Local council’s alcohol regulations, please consult local regulatory bodies or Government Agencies.